Las Vegas in November

SEMA, Hump and Bump, and Lucas Oil Truck Series

The Las Vegas Convention Center for SEMA this year was almost as busy as the race tracks and trails. If you’re in the industry, this is the place you want to be in early November! I feel very fortunate for many reasons: I was able to walk the entire show and see all the new products slated for arrival in 2011, I was able to catch a seat in a Jeep for Vegas Valley 4 Wheeler’s 30^th annual “Hump and Bump,” and I got to watch the boss race in the Lucas Oil Truck Series.

SEMA

I’m not going to bore you with my top fives or show you pictures of all the beautiful cars and women; there are plenty of other websites dedicated to that. What I can tell you is that there are many cool items coming out for us off road enthusiasts. For the Jeep guys, Mopar has announced the release of a new axle for the JK and, yes, it is a portal axle . . . VERY COOL!

For the mall crawlers and dust junkies, it appears that everyone is now doing LED lights, and I mean everyone. So keep an eye out and watch for the price wars to begin on lighting. It’s about to get very affordable.

And, finally, it was nice to see the major automotive companies working with the aftermarket to produce some very trick new cars. Vendors like GenRight were working with Chrysler to help build the new JK ImMortal. If you get a chance to see this build in person, take it! This was probably my favorite year at SEMA because it was all business. You can really see the industry working to produce better parts and refine what is already out there. I am excited for 2011!

Hump and Bump

I want to start by saying thank you to the Vegas Valley 4 Wheelers. This club is amazing and they should produce a guide in trail etiquette. They’re truly some of the nicest people I have met on the trail in some time, especially Tom and his wife, who were my trail guides for the day. If anyone is in the Vegas region next year in early November, I highly recommend checking out their 31^st event.

For me, the day started out great. Tony from GenRight was able to get two seats for myself and a coworker for the day. We were on the trail in 80-degree weather and all was fantastic. Then, things took a turn. Well, a roll to be exact, and I was soon crawling out of a crippled Jeep.

Rewind a little bit. Bob, the owner of the YJ I was riding in, was driving up an obstacle known as Bronco Falls. With total confidence in my driver, we started to ascend the steep slick rock and headed toward a bonus line. This line was a quite a bit steeper and ultimately caused the shorter wheelbase YJ to roll completely backwards, pirouette, and somehow land back on the jeep tires. A cracked intake manifold sucked more air, causing the engine to rev and drive us directly into the canyon wall . . . crazy. Both Bob and I were uninjured, but obviously shaken and banged up. He limped the Jeep back to camp and I was able to catch another seat with a member of the club.

It was an amazing time and it now has me thinking about my own safety equipment and what I am going to do for a proper roll cage. I can’t express my gratitude enough to the club and its members. Oh yeah, and thank you to Bob for a wild ride! If anyone out there has pictures of the roll, please get them to me!

The Lucas Oil Race

Saturday we got to spend at the Lucas Oil Truck Series race. We stayed an extra day to watch Greg race his truck and I am glad we did. Watching 800+ horsepower trucks navigate a tight course at high speeds is something to be admired. I think the correct amount of crazy and calm is needed to even get in the seat of one of those beasts. You don’t get to see racing like this in Ohio, and I am very glad I was able to check it out while I was in Vegas.